Intermodal container for shipping and storage of roofing granules

ABSTRACT

The present application is a method of handling bulk granular material. First, an intermodal container is filled with the granular material at a processing facility. The filling is done in such a manner as to minimize segregation of the granular material. The filled container is then stored until an order for the granular material is received from a customer. Upon receiving an order, the intermodal container containing the granular material is transported from the manufacturing facility to the customer. Once at the customer&#39;s location, the customer can dispense the granular material from the filled intermodal container, wherein the intermodal container has been designed to minimize segregation of granular material during the dispensing step.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to transportation of flowable granularmaterial in intermodal containers. More specifically, the presentapplication discloses a method of using intermodal containers havinghoppers for filling, storing, transporting, and dispensing granularmaterials therefrom with means for minimizing the segregation of theparticles that comprise the granular material.

The present application relates to intermodal containers, which are bulkmaterial containers that are mountable on standard shipping platformssuch as on railroad cars, truck trailer beds, ships, and other modes oftransportation. The containers are often used to ship bulk material,including granular material. The intermodal containers for bulk flowablegranular materials often contain loading ports on the top and dischargeports on the bottom for loading and unloading cargo, i.e. granularmaterial, within hoppers formed within the container. The presentinvention details a method for filling an intermodal container andtransporting material while minimizing segregation of the granularmaterial.

SUMMARY

The present application is a method of handling bulk granular material.First, an intermodal container is filled with the granular material at aprocessing facility. The filling is done in such a manner as to minimizesegregation of the granular material. The filled container is thenstored until an order for the granular material is received from acustomer. Upon receiving an order, the intermodal container containingthe granular material is transported from the manufacturing facility tothe customer. Once at the customer's location, the customer can dispensethe granular material from the filled intermodal container, wherein theintermodal container has been designed to minimize segregation ofgranular material during the dispensing step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a schematic for an intermodal containerof the present invention having two hoppers therein.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a closing mechanism for unloading portfrom one of the hoppers.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a hopper having a grid mounted therein torandomize the distribution of granular material entering the hopper.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the grid of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a series of cross members mounted within ahopper to form a granular material distribution randomization.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a hopper being loaded with granularmaterial from a conduit, and a distribution cone within the hopper.

FIG. 6 is a schematic end view of the intermodal container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a side schematic view of the intermodal container of FIG. 1.

The present invention is further explained with reference to the drawingfigures, wherein like structures are referred to by like numbersthroughout the several views. While the above-identified drawings setforth one embodiment of the present invention, other embodiments arealso contemplated, as noted in the discussion. In all cases, thisdisclosure presents the present invention by way of representation andnot limitation. It should be understood that numerous othermodifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the artwhich fall within the scope and spirit of the principles of thisinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a schematic for an intermodal containerof the present invention. (Interior walls of the intermodal container inFIG. 1, as well as those in FIGS. 6 and 7, are shown phantom.)Intermodal container 10 comprises parallel side walls 12 and 13, andparallel end walls 14 and 15, along with a top wall 16 and a bottom wall17. All walls are constructed of flat metal plates or a combination ofmetal plates and corrugated metal plates, or similar structures commonlyused in construction of intermodal containers. Side walls 12 and 13, andtop wall 16 and bottom wall 17, are of solid construction and attachedto one another in a semi-permanent or permanent fashion. End wall 14attaches to the one of the side walls via a vertical hinge and islockable to the other side wall to function as a door for the intermodalcontainer 10. End wall 15 may be likewise connected to the side walls 12and 13.

Intermodal container 10 is intended for use on a standard shippingplatform, and thus is of a standard size. Preferably, the dimensions andother criteria for the container are those that are set forth inInternational Standard Organization (ISO) Section 55.180, specificallyStandard 1496-4, a standard known in the art. The standard gives thedimensions for the exterior of the intermodal container 10. In theembodiment pictured, the intermodal container 10 is eight foot wide, byeight foot tall, by twenty foot long. Also included on the intermodalcontainer 10, but not illustrated, are standardized features for nodeson each of the eight corners for stacking and lifting the container, andfor interlocking it with adjacent containers. Additionally, liftingpoints are included as required by the standard, or for ease of use ofthe intermodal container 10.

Intermodal container 10 comprises two hoppers 22 a and 22 b, separatedby a partition 24. Each hopper 22 has a loading port 26, an upper mainstorage area 28, a lower hopper portion 30, and one or more unloadingports 32. In addition, a portion of the container is unused storagespace 34, below the lower hopper portion 30 of each hopper 22. Hoppers22 a and 22 b are two distinct storage areas within the container 10.Hoppers 22 a and 22 b are separated by the partition 24. Partition 24 isan additional vertical wall constructed within the intermodal container10, preferably situated to create a symmetrical division within theintermodal container 10 wherein each hopper 22 will representapproximately one half of the granular material storage space for theintermodal container 10. In the embodiment illustrated, partition 24 isa metal plate. In alternate embodiments, the intermodal container 10 maycontain only a single hopper, or may contain more than two hoppers, solong as each hopper meets the design criteria for minimizingsegregation.

Each loading port 26 is an opening through the top wall 16 of intermodalcontainer 10. As illustrated in FIG. 1, loading ports 26 are circular inshape. However, any opening, including squares or parallelograms, may beutilized so long as there is a sufficient open area in the top wall 16to load the intermodal container 10. Additionally, each loading port 26contains a lid (not shown), preferably hinged from intermodal container10, for securing and closing loading port 26. Lids can be held in placewith ordinary fasteners for securing and closing loading port 26 ofintermodal container 10 to prevent spilling of bulk material duringtransport.

In each hopper, just below loading port 26, is main granular materialstorage area 28. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 the mainstorage area is a parallelopiped. For hopper 22 a, the walls 12, 13, and14, and top wall 16 along with partition 24 create the upper definitionof the main storage area 28. For hopper 22 b, the walls 12, 13, and 15,and top wall 16 along with partition 24 create the upper definition ofmain storage area 28. In one embodiment, the main storage area 28 isconstructed from metal sheeting or plates that are reinforced with angleiron to support a load of bulk granular material within its respectivehopper.

For each hopper, located adjacent and just below the main storage area28 is the lower hopper portion 30. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG.1, each hopper contains two side-by-side hopper portions 30 a and 30 b(see e.g., FIG. 6). This embodiment is designed for use with a vehiclewherein the shipping platform contains a centralized beam which wouldimpede unloading through an unloading port when the unloading port islocated at the lateral center of the intermodal container 10. In analternative embodiment, each hopper contains only a single lower hopperportion 30. In such an embodiment, the hopper portion 30 would containan opening located at the center of the portion of bottom wall 17 belowthe hopper.

Each hopper portion 30 is designed to assure that substantially allmaterial stored within the container flows out of the intermodalcontainer 10 through the force of gravity. The hopper portions areconnected to the walls 12, 13, 14, and 15, and the partition 24, or tothe plates that comprise the main storage area 28 in an alternativeembodiment. The hopper portions are also reinforced with angle irons orsimilar structures to support the granular material load beingtransported.

Unloading port 32 is an opening on the bottom wall 17 of the intermodalcontainer 10. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a suitable closingmechanism for unloading port 32. In this embodiment, a retractable plate36 is movably aligned adjacent the bottom wall 17. In a first position,the retractable plate fully covers the unloading port 32, preventing thestored granular material from discharging from the intermodal container10. The plate 36 is on a slide mechanism 38 that allows the plate 36 tobe retracted into a second position, which leaves the unloading port 32fully open for discharging the granular material from the intermodalcontainer 10. Preferably, the slide mechanism 38 contains a controlmechanism 40, such as a crank, on the outer side of the intermodalcontainer 10 for selectively controlling the position of the plate 36relative to the unloading port 32. The slide mechanisms 38 for the slideapparatus can be located within the non-used storage area 34 ofintermodal container 10.

In further describing the invention of the present application, thegranular particulate materials are provided for reference as examples ofbulk granular material: #11 and #14 grade roofing granules, and S-Gradecolor quartz ceramic coated crystals available from 3M Corporation, St.Paul, Minn. Such roofing granules contain a maximum of 0.3 percentmoisture content, are opaque to protect an underlying asphalt substratefrom the effects of sunlight, and are between a six and seven on theMoh's mineral scale. Such color quartz ceramic color crystals do notexceed 0.5 percent moisture content as determined by ASTM C566, and areon a hardness of between 6.5 and 7 on the Moh's mineral scale. All ofthese materials come in various colors including black, blue, brown,buff, green, gray, red, and white. Each of the particulate granules ofthe three mentioned products contain a mixture of sizes of particlesdetermined by ASTM D451 as indicated in the following tables:

EXAMPLES

NOMINAL U.S. SIEVE NO. OPENING MINIMUM MAXIMUM TYPICAL % RETAINEDSPECIFICATION (#11 GRADE) 8 2.36 mm 0.0 0.1 — 12 1.70 mm 4.0 10.0 — 161.18 mm — —  30-45* 20 850 Φm — —  25-35* 30 600 Φm — —  15-25* 40 425Φm — —  2-9* −40 −425 Φm 0.0 2.0 — % RETAINED SPECIFICATION (#14 GRADE)8 2.36 mm — — — 12 1.70 mm 0.0 0.3 — 16 1.18 mm 0.5 15.0 — 20 850 Φm — — 38-62* 30 600 Φm — —  23-38* 40 425 Φm — —   1-18* −40 −425 Φm 0.0 4.0— METHOD U.S. SIEVE % RETAINED SIEVE SPECIFICATIONS (S-GRADE) ASTM D 45120 0-2 30   7-14* 40  46-73* 50  15-35* 70  0-6* −70 0-1*Typical range

It is important that all of the above products have a homogenous mixtureof the particle sizes when utilized for covering shingles or otherapplications. This homogenous mixture is necessary for maximumperformance of the granules, which is a covering of asphalt shingleswith a mix of particle sizes. The granules protect the asphalt of theunderlying shingle to prevent degradation of the asphalt. This isaccomplished by the granules preventing ultraviolet light from reachingthe asphalt which quickly degrades the shingles. Further, the mixture isneeded to assure a uniform weight and color when applied to the shinglesfor aesthetic purposes. As such, it is necessary to have a homogenousmixture of particles when applying the granules. To accomplish this, thefollowing methods for preventing segregation of particles are used inconnection with the use of the inventive intermodal containerarrangement of the present invention.

Upon filling of the intermodal container 10, randomizing of thedistribution of particulate size to create a homogenous load within thecontainer is used. Typically, when piling particular matter of varyingsizes within a mix, i.e., loading or unloading the material for storage,the mixture has a tendency to segregate. Larger granules have a greaterpotential energy than smaller granules. This greater potential energytransforms to greater kinetic energy as the granules free fall. When thegranules reach the end of their fall, the greater kinetic energy of thelarger particles causes them to deflect further from the objects thegranules strike. This creates what is called a “piling effect”. Coursegranules are forced to the outer sides of a pile while the finergranules tend to stay in the middle. This piling effect occurs instorage piles, hoppers, silos, and wherever granules are allowed to filla storage vessel in a free flowing manner. With the present invention,steps are taken to prevent this piling effect when loading and unloadingthe granules from the hopper(s) of the intermodal container 10.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a hopper 22 in an intermodal container 10being filled with granular material 25. A grid 50 (See FIG. 3A) ismounted in a hopper 22 to randomize the distribution by size of granularmaterial entering the hopper 22. Grid 50 is either a course mesh or aseries of inverted angle iron or rods fastened together. In the case ofusing inverted angle irons, it is important that the angle iron isinverted so that the apex of the corner of the angle iron is normal tothe inlet to the inlet port. This prevents particles from remaining on asurface of the angle iron, which prevents flow upon unloading of hopper22. In one embodiment, the grid 50 is made of hardened steel to preventwear from the roofing granules, which can be very abrasive upon loading.In an alternative embodiment, the grid is ceramic coated to prevent wearfrom the abrasiveness of the granules falling onto the grid. Othersuitable materials include scratch-resistant rubber and other highdurometer-scale materials. The grid 50 is mounted adjacent the loadingport 26. A plurality of grid layers may be employed as well.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a series of granular material flowinterruption members mounted within the hopper 22. Rather than havinggrid 50 near loading port 26, the hopper 22 itself contains a series ofmembers represented by rods 42, and/or inverted angle irons 44, and/orother shaped beams 45 throughout the hopper 22. Thus, when the granulesof the mixture enter the hopper 22, they will hit members 42, 44, and/or45, which will help randomize the mixture. As granules enter the loadingport 26 (as represented by arrows 46), they encounter the members 42,44, and/or 45, so that the downward flow is interrupted (as show byarrows 47). Granules eventually pass through the spaces between adjacentmembers 42, 44, and/or 45, after their momentum has been reduced (asrepresented by arrows 48). Thus, directional flow is randomized for theparticulate material, which minimizes the angle of repose and materialsegregation as the hopper 22 is filled (as shown by arrows 49).

The members 42, 44, and/or 45 are composed of hardened steel,scratch-resistant rubber, ceramic coated metal or polymers, or othersimilar high durometer materials to prevent wear. In this embodiment,the cross members extend between partition 24 and end walls 14 and 15 inone layer. Alternately, additional members 42, 44, and/or 45 extendbetween side walls 12 and 13 in a second layer, with alternatingperpendicular members for additional layers. The cross members arelocated within main storage area 28 of the hopper so as not to interruptflow upon discharge of the material from the intermodal container 10.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a hopper 22 in an intermodal container 10being filled with granular material 25. In this embodiment, a cone 55 isplaced just below loading port 26. Cone 55 is constructed of the samematerials as the grid 50 or that which comprises the hopper 22. The cone55 creates a radial flow of the materials entering the hopper 22. Assuch, when the falling granules strike the cone 55, part of the kineticenergy is removed creating a randomization of the granule materialsentering the hopper 22. In yet another embodiment (not illustrated),granular material enters the hopper 22 through a tube that containsoutlet ports spaced circumferentially around the tube. The end of thetube may be closed, so the tube acts as a distributor, which creates aspreading effect of the granules as they enter the hopper 22. Thiscreates a randomization of the particles as they enter. Also, the tubecan be made to minimize the free fall of the particles within the hopperthus removing some of the associated kinetic energy as the particlesenter the hopper. In all of the above embodiments, the objective is toobtain a homogenous load mixture that is being introduced into thehopper for storage. The arrangements described above help keep therandomization of size and maintain a homogenous load by minimizingsegregation as the bulk particulate material enters intermodal container10.

The intermodal container 10 of the present invention may also bedesigned to minimize segregation upon unloading of the particulatematerial therein. Specifically, the lower portion of the hopper shouldbe designed to allow gravitational flow of substantially all materialout of hopper 22. Also, because intermodal container 10 has been filledby a method of randomizing particle size and minimizing segregation, thematerial stored will be of a homogenous load prior to unloading.Preventing segregation upon unloading intermodal container 10 eliminatesthe need for remixing the bulk granular material being stored andtransported.

When piling granular material, the material creates a pile that has aslope at an angle with the horizon. This slope is called the angle ofrepose. Small particulate matter, such as fine sand, has an angle ofrepose of about twenty-five degrees. More course material, such as someof the particulate matter contained in the roofing granules disclosed,has an angle of repose closer to forty degrees. When designing thehopper, in order to unload all the material within hopper 22, the slopedwalls of the lower portion of the hopper should be designed with anangle that is greater than that of the angle of repose of the material,which in the case of the #11 roofing granules is thirty-eight degrees.

In designing hopper portions 30 of hoppers 22 a and 22 b (FIGS. 1 and6), it is preferred that the sloped walls extend at an angle of greaterthan forty degrees. FIG. 6 is and end view of intermodal container 10.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, wherein each hopper contains twounloading ports 32, sloped walls 60 of the hopper portion 30 near theside walls 12 and 13 of intermodal container 10 are as close to verticalas possible to maximize the amount of storage space within hopper 22.The remaining sloped walls, walls 62 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) are designed tocontain an angle greater than the angle of repose of the particulatematerial being stored and transported within the intermodal container10. Where the bulk material is #11 roofing granules, the angle must begreater than thirty-eight degrees. The remaining two sides of the hopper22 also create planes that terminate at the unloading port 32, so thatthe hopper is generally pyramidal or trapezoidal shaped.

The hopper 22 itself is constructed from hardened metal or is ceramiccoated to maintain integrity and prevent abrasion while being filled. Inone embodiment, the hopper 22 is lined with a polymeric material topromote flow of the granular material. Lower hopper portions 30 aredesigned depending upon the selected material which will be filledwithin hopper 22. A selected material may differ in color, size, orcomposition, or a combination of these or similar properties, and thuswill have its own specific angle of repose. In this case, a hopperdesign of forty-five degrees will allow most particulate materials todischarge from the hopper 22 from gravitational flow.

In addition to hopper design, another way of minimizing segregation upondischarge is the use of a Binsert™ such as sold by Jenike & JohansonInc., Billerica, Mass. As the material is discharged from hopper 22,material is free flowing which allows the material to segregate upon itsshifting as it is discharged from the hopper. Material segregates bysifting, which occurs on the top surface of a pile of material as fineparticles sift through the voids between larger particles as the hopperis emptied. Due to the emptying flow pattern within the hopper, finematerial at the center will be withdrawn first followed by the coursermaterial second, which creates a segregation of material. A Binsert™ isan insert near the discharge port which controls exit velocity tominimize the problem of sifting segregation. The use of a Binsert™ alsoallows a shallower hopper to be used, which increases the storagecapacity and maximizes the efficiency of the inventive intermodalcontainer 10.

In an alternative embodiment, if an unloading port is offset from thecenter of the bottom surface 17, it is preferable to have the loadingport offset an equal distance in the opposite direction. Locating theports on the same side will result in a larger angle going back to anasymmetrical side so course granules will be diverted down the sidewhich will discharge first. Offsetting the ports will result in a moreuniform angle of repose, thus keeping the mixture within the hopper moreuniform as it is discharged from hopper 22.

The hopper(s) of intermodal container 10 may also be equipped withcleaning devices to help assure all material is discharged from thehopper 22 to prevent cross contamination if the hopper 22 is used for adifferent material such as one different in color, size, or composition.One method for cleaning is to provide a series of air nozzlesstrategically placed throughout the container, including above arandomization grid (i.e., grid 50), and at other critical areas thattend to impede flow such as weld seams within hopper 22. The air nozzlesare connected to a series of pneumatic lines, which are then connectedto compressed air. When hopper 22 contains a minimal amount of materialto be discharged, compressed air is hooked up to the pneumatic linewhich then is blown through the strategically placed air nozzles toforce all remaining granules to the base of the hopper 22. In anotherembodiment, hopper 22 can contain a shaker. A shaker is a mechanismwhich provides vibration at a certain harmonic to hopper 22. Theresulting vibration of the hopper 22 acts to provide energy to bounceall remaining granules from critical areas such as seams or therandomization grid 50.

Additionally, to assure complete emptying of the hopper 22, moisturecontent is controlled within intermodal container 10. Absent venting,moisture content of the granules may vary and leave moisture on thesurfaces of hopper 22. This prevents granules from leaving as granuleswill adhere to the moisture and create cross contamination if the hopperis later used for a different material. Also, moisture left behind canhave a corrosive effect on the container. A solution for this is tocreate venting within the container. Systems of passive venting, such asgable vents, which are vents that contains a series of louvers to allowair to flow in and out of intermodal container 10, but prevents moisturefrom rain or other precipitation from entering the container, areprovided on the intermodal container 10. For more active venting, a fancan be installed within the hopper 22 which will force air to flowthrough the granulated material and escape through the gable vent, orsimilar structure.

With the above design of an intermodal container, a method of handlingbulk granular material that minimizes segregation of the granularmaterial can be achieved. First, intermodal container 10 is filled withgranular material at a granular material processing facility. Whilefilling, segregation of the granular material is minimized by one ormore of the arrangements described herein. The filled intermodalcontainer can be stored until an order for the granular material isreceived from a customer. Alternatively, the container can be filledupon receiving an order from a customer. The container is thentransported from the manufacturing facility to the customer uponreceiving the customer order. The customer can store the filledintermodal container at its facility until the granular material isrequired for processing. Once the material is required for processing,intermodal container 10 can be moved to a dispensing station of amanufacturing process where the material is required. The granularmaterial is discharged from the intermodal container at this dispensingstation as described above. With the minimization of the segregation ofthe granular material during the filling and dispensing steps, it is notnecessary for a manufacturer to have to remix the material that has beentransported.

In the embodiment where the intermodal container contains a plurality ofhoppers, each hopper may contain a selected material. The selectedmaterial in each hopper may be a different size, a different color, ordifferent composition as that of an adjoining hopper. The customer canthen dispense the granular material from the desired hopper of theintermodal container at its facility. For instance, a customer mayrequest a shipment of number eleven red and number fourteen gray roofinggranules. One hopper of the intermodal container will be filled with thenumber eleven red roofing granules while the other hopper will be filledwith the number fourteen gray. The container is then stored until it isrequested by the customer. Upon receiving a request by the customer, thecontainer is transported via railroad, truck or ship. Once it reachesthe customer's location, the container can store the granular materialsin the intermodal container at the facility until the granular materialstherein are required for use.

Once a customer has emptied an intermodal container, the customer canrefill the container with raw material and transport the intermodalcontainer back to its original processing facility. This improvesefficiency of a system, by not shipping empty containers. Additionally,the containers may contain a GPS tag, which will allow the customerand/or supplier to know the whereabouts of a given container at any onetime. GPS tags are known in the art.

Although the hopper is designed to discharge all material, such designleaves non-used storage area 34 in each intermodal container. Althoughthis is not the most efficient way of shipping, that is, there is not amaximum use of the shipping space, it is still a savings of efficiency.The savings of efficiency comes from the lack of requirement of remixinga product that has been segregated due to transportation. Theelimination of this remixing step makes up for the void of the non-usedstorage area 34 while shipping the container.

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

1. A method of handling bulk granular material, the method comprising:filling an intermodal container with granular material at a granularmaterial processing facility; minimizing segregation of the granularmaterial during the filling step; storing the filled intermodalcontainer until an order for granular material is received from acustomer; and transporting the filled intermodal container from themanufacturing facility to the customer upon receiving the customerorder.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein transporting the filledintermodal container comprises placing the intermodal container on astandard shipping platform.
 3. The method of claim 1, and furthercomprising: storing the filled intermodal container at a customerfacility until the granular material therein is required for use.
 4. Themethod of claim 3 and further comprising: moving the filled intermodalcontainer to a dispensing station of a manufacturing process where thegranular material is required; dispensing granular material from thefilled intermodal container at the dispensing station; and minimizingsegregation of the granular material during the dispensing step.
 5. Amethod of handling bulk granular material with minimal segregation ofthe granular material, the method comprising: providing an intermodalcontainer comprising a plurality of hoppers; filling the hoppers of theintermodal container with a selected granular material for each hopper;storing the intermodal container; transporting the intermodal containerupon receiving a request for an amount of granular material from acustomer; and storing the granular materials in the intermodal containerat a customer facility until the granular materials are required foruse.
 6. The method of claim 5 and further comprising: dispensing thegranular materials from one or more of the hoppers of the intermodalcontainer at the customer facility.
 7. The method of claim 5 whereinfilling the hoppers of the intermodal container comprises filling eachhopper based on a request by the customer for an amount of selectedgranular material.
 8. The method of claim 5 wherein filling the hoppersof the intermodal container comprises filling each of the plurality ofhoppers with a plurality of roofing granules at a roofing granuleprocessing facility.
 9. The method of claim 8 and further comprising:dispensing the roofing granules from one or more hoppers of theintermodal container; loading one or more hoppers of the intermodalcontainer with a raw material for use in manufacturing a roofing granuleafter the roofing granules have been dispensed; and transporting the rawmaterial to the roofing granule processing facility.
 10. A method ofsupplying a customer with bulk granular material while minimizingsegregation of the granular material due to transport and storage, themethod comprising: obtaining a request from a customer for an amount ofbulk granular material; loading an intermodal container having aplurality of hoppers with granular material, wherein each hoppercontains an amount of granular material corresponding to the request bythe customer; and transporting the intermodal container to the customer.11. The method of claim 10 and further comprising: storing theintermodal container until a transport vehicle is available.
 12. Themethod of claim 10 wherein transporting the intermodal container to thecustomer comprises transporting the intermodal container using astandard shipping platform.
 13. The method of claim 10 and furthercomprising: storing the intermodal container at the customer until thebulk granular material therein is required for use.
 14. An intermodalcontainer for handling of homogenous bulk granular material comprising:a parallelepiped having two opposite side walls, two opposite end walls,a top wall and an opposite bottom wall, the walls defining a volumetherein; at least one loading port in the top wall; at least oneunloading port in the bottom wall; and at least one hopper constructedwithin the volume defined by the walls comprising: a main storage areain communication with the loading port; a lower hopper portion incommunication with the unloading port; a mechanism to minimizesegregation of the bulk granular material while loading the materialinto the hopper through the loading port; and an apparatus to minimizesegregation of the bulk granular material upon unloading the materialfrom the hopper through the unloading port.
 15. The intermodal containerof claim 14 wherein the mechanism to minimize segregation while loadingcomprises a grid adjacent the loading port.
 16. The intermodal containerof claim 14 wherein the mechanism to minimize segregation while loadingcomprises members mounted between the side and end walls in the mainstorage area.
 17. The intermodal container of claim 14 wherein themechanism to minimize segregation while loading comprises a cone mountedbelow the loading port in the main storage area.
 18. The intermodalcontainer of claim 14 wherein the apparatus to minimize segregation uponunloading comprises the lower hopper portion comprising sloped walls atan angle from a horizon that is greater than the angle of repose of thebulk granular material.